Anita Cooke

Anita Cooke (b. 1954) is a visual artist and educator based in New Orleans, where she has lived and worked since 1980. She holds a BFA in Ceramics from Kent State University and an MFA from Tulane University. Her long teaching career includes positions at Tulane University and Loyola University, where she has shared her knowledge and experience in ceramics.

Cooke's artistic practice has evolved considerably throughout her career. Initially rooted in ceramics, her work has expanded to embrace sewing, fabric, mixed media, and collage, reflecting an ongoing exploration of materials, processes, and visual expression.

Her monumental ceramic mural LightSounds is part of the campus of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Her work is also held in numerous public and private collections, including Western Michigan University, Second Line Stages in New Orleans, and Oil Tanking North America in Houston.

Cooke has received numerous distinctions throughout her career, including the Louisiana Fellowship Award from the Louisiana Division of the Arts and Louisiana State Arts Council, an Honored Artist recognition from the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), and Juror Awards from the Fletcher Exhibit of Socially and Politically Engaged Art and at McNeese State University.

She has also been a Visiting Artist at the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Maine and received the Eleanor B. Kohlmeyer Graduate Award in Studio Art and a full-time Teaching Assistantship at Tulane University.

Through her ongoing experimentation with ceramics, textiles, and mixed media, Cooke continues to develop a diverse practice shaped by material exploration, craftsmanship, and decades of artistic and educational experience.